Dept. of Genetics,
University of isconsin,
swdison, 6, éisconsin.
august 6, 1948. _

vear Juck,

feer reading your letter, I was ulmost relieved that Perlow was such a
misty venory, fron dvys long gona by. But I was shocked that you should sug-
gost that "all dn all he had(n't) a better life” - what is the all in all;
you sound is if it vere newly over, and the reckoning due tomorrow. But
I suvpose that the very fact thet you wrote may have presagec that you were
unusually depressed, and felt thet by looking inward anc buckward some of At
could be gotten off your cheat. On the wholes, it «as very distressing: do you
really mean whit you write? or are yon, “vite soeurately » guiny to question how
one is to know whet one means?

You used to write much more clesrly, less pur.boliesily. shat is $he life of
"action" from which you sre retiine? Do you no lotiger bother to eat and slepp
- or ds it just thet you hive viver up orisofighting? I a4 not objecting to
your writine « confession 1 letter, but to an éuprecise ons.

I sicned ay Last "vs ol! chucidebuuy", und as g00n as 14 was pos ted re=-
gretted it, becanse I didn't nein it. I am not writing to you out of the past,
but the present, and if it can't be done, there is no use being « resurrectionist.

I hope you were kidding wher you suspected. my paternity. Cather has a long
way to 70 now in her studies here (two or three years) for a Ph. D., and it would
probubly be a Little unfortunite to have then Interrupted. But we way change our
minds.Privately and vocationsally we zre both suits hapry; negt month we are
moving into our first resily decen’ living quarters in « faculty housing project,
and at the same time the furniture and other paraphernalia for my permanent
lab. ure due to arrive, ‘eanwhile, thoughg I have been able to get my research
done, although under somewhat cramped conditions, and with occasional frustrations

due to lack of space, equipment sometines, and so on. vadison de nrohably the
least objectionable touns in the idwest. .lthough «griculture is King, the University
plays just about enouzh of a role in the ‘town to kesn it highly stimalated without
its becoming a "stuffy colieze town.” Sonetines, I wish New York were perhauns « little
closer, but certainly not that. 1t were here (or we there). Chicago we axmik avoid as
much as possible, having come to regard it as an overgromm railrodd depot, and very
little mora. I have never seen anything more depressing that the RK's-eye view of
that slumtown. I haven't seen Milwaukee yet except from within a coach, but Esther
just went to do dome shonning there and approved of it. So you can gather that we
have bacome pretty well acclimated to -Uidwestern life, at least as lived very far
. from the soil by a professor in Madison. But I'd rather talk to you about it in persOn.
I take it that you're attending swamer session, but there must be some time off
betweem terms (having no connec$ion with ucademic problems here, I ve forgotten all about
4t). If a warm welcome would be enough of un inducement, do come out and visit us.

Bast regards,

Yours,